Ars Moriendi, 1460

The Ars moriendi (The Art of Dying) are two related Latin texts dating from about 1415 and 1450 which offer advice on the protocols and procedures of a good death, explaining how to die well according to Christian precepts of the late Middle Ages. It was written within the historical context of the effects of the macabre horrors of the Black Death 60 years earlier and consequent social upheavals of the 15th century. It was very popular, translated into most West European languages, and was the first in a western literary tradition of guides to death and dying. In this woodcut pride of the spirit is one of the five temptations of the dying man. Here, Demons tempt the dying man with crowns (a medieval allegory to earthly pride) under the disapproving gaze of Mary, Christ and God. Woodblock, Netherlands, circa 1460

Picture No

10800329

Media ID

47596599

Size

2986px x 3899px (5.2MB)

Credit

©Photo Researchers / Mary Evans Picture Library

Source

Photo Researchers